During that period he helped Newport News Shipbuilding gain approval for expansion of the shipyard and opened a second investigation into the assassination of President Kennedy.

After surgery in May to remove a section of his intestine, Mr. Downing never fully recovered. He had been in poor health for several years, suffering from emphysema, which might have been brought on by decades of smoking, according to family and friends.

Friends remember Mr. Downing as gracious, friendly and caring.

"He's one of a few people I've ever known who didn't think ill of his fellow human beings," said one of his former law partners, former state Sen. Hunter Andrews.

A graduate of the Virginia Military Institute -- "one of his true loves," his son Dick said -- he led an Army reconnaissance team in World War II. On Aug. 11, 1944, in Northern France, his unit was ambushed by German troops. He rescued two of his men who were injured in the initial exchange of gunfire.

"Capt. Downing, without hesitation, and with utter disregard for his personal safety, ran to the aid of his men among a hail of bullets," read the citation that accompanied the Silver Star he was awarded.

That military service is the first thing Lloyd Noland Jr. associates with the man who was one of his closest friends.

"He served his country with distinction in war," Noland said. "He was a true patriot."

In the late 1950s, Peninsula politics was a one-party show. First District congressman Edward J. Robeson fell out of favor with Democratic Party leaders, and in 1958 the party establishment on the Peninsula and in Virginia Beach, which was part of the district then, backed Mr. Downing in a primary. Mr. Downing easily ousted Robeson, garnering more than twice as many votes as the incumbent.

For his time in Congress, Mr. Downing is remembered by friends as an advocate for the Peninsula, especially Newport News Shipbuilding.

During his tenure, the shipyard added the area known as the North Yard, which made it easier and more cost effective for the company to build some of the largest ships in the world. Bud Ackerman, who was CEO of the shipyard at the time, said Mr. Downing helped company executives win approval of the expansion from government regulators.

"He recognized probably more than most the great economic impact of the shipyard on the community," Ackerman said. "You have to understand when Tom was congressman the shipyard had a far more dominant role in the economy than it is today."

Near the end of his tenure in Washington, he convinced Congress to open a second investigation into the death of President Kennedy.

He retired before the panel began its work, but until his death, Mr. Downing remained convinced Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone.

Downing thought Cuban exiles played a role in Kennedy's death because the president failed to support the abortive Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 that was designed to overthrow Fidel Castro.

With a widespread belief at the time that U.S. agents were trying to kill the communist dictator, Kennedy's death might have been staged to look like retaliation from Castro, Downing speculated.

"I am firmly convinced, I am sincerely convinced, that more than one person was shooting at President Kennedy in Dallas that day," Downing told a reporter in 1992. "It is so obvious to me."

Mr. Downing was re-elected to Congress eight times, with little trouble and often unopposed. In the fall of 1976, as Democrat Jimmy Carter won election to the White House, Mr. Downing retired. Republicans gained control of the First District that year and Democrats have not yet won it back.

He twice considered running for higher office -- the U.S. Senate in 1966 and governor three years later -- but decided against it both times.

Friends say his genuine, easy-going manner made him a natural campaigner in an era before made-for-television politicians.

An anecdote from the 1972 campaign illustrates Mr. Downing's outlook, said Mary Sherwood Holt, a longtime aide to Mr. Downing.

One Saturday morning on the Eastern Shore, Mr. Downing was practicing the basics of politics -- standing on a street corner shaking hands and talking to voters. After a conversation with one farmer, Mr. Downing asked the man to vote for him. The farmer said, " 'Young man, yes I will. Anything's better than what we have there now,' " Holt said. "Tommy had only been there 14 years.

"Tommy loved that story."

A DOWNING TIME LINE

1958

Thomas N. Downing defeats incumbent Representative E.J. Robeson for the 1st District congressional seat in the Democratic primary. Runs unopposed in the election.

1960

Wins re-election with 71 percent of the vote over Republican Richard May. He subsequently runs opposed only in presidential election years.

1964

Wins re-election over Republican Wayne Thiessen with 78.7 percent of the vote.

1966

Decides not to challenge incumbent U.S. Sen. A. Willis Robertson for the Democratic nomination. Instead is re-elected to Congress.

1968

Despite speculation, Downing announces he will not run as a candidate in the 1969 gubernatorial race. Chooses to run for a sixth term in Congress. Wins re- election by defeating independent J. Cornelius Funtleroy and American Independent Party candidate James Stafford with 72.3 percent of the vote.

1972

Wins re-election over Republican Kenneth D. Wells by a 4-1 margin.

1976

Doesn't seek re-election. Succeeded in Congress by Paul Trible, who became U.S. senator and is president of Christopher Newport University.

Terry Scanlon can be reached at 247-7821 or by e-mail at tscanlon@dailypress.com.

Published correction ran Monday, October 29, 2001.A photo caption in Thursday's front section incorrectly said former Rep. Thomas N. Downing served in Congress from 1958 to 1976. He was elected in 1958 and served from 1959 to 1977. (Text corrected.)

Published correction ran Monday, October 29, 2001.A photo caption in Thursday's front section incorrectly said former Rep. Thomas N. Downing served in Congress from 1958 to 1976. He was elected in 1958 and served from 1959 to 1977. (Text corrected.)